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Maybe for some, but for decades, Hillsdale College has embodied rebellion in subtler but far more profound ways. It’s celebrated worldwide for zealously charting its own path and staying true to it, no matter the shifting tides of academia or society.

Consider: The small Michigan school proudly teaches the humanities, requiring students to read the Great Books, at a time when other colleges emphasize real-world learning and hide books by dead white men.

It’s refused to accept federal money for nearly 50 years because Hillsdale doesn’t want to be told what to do by Washington. Instead, students get an average of nearly $17,000 in gifts and loans from a privately created financial aid plan.

And Hillsdale makes zero excuses for being located in a northern town of 8,000 with few distractions.

“We think of those as advantages,” Hillsdale President Larry Arnn told The Wall Street Journal last week in a complimentary feature about him and the school.

“Because you need to come to college for the right reason. They’re not coming to our place for the beach. We like that—and manage to recruit, better and better.”

Arnn recently won the Bradley Prize, one of the highest honors among conservatives. And while the school is a bastion of conservatism whose campus includes statues of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, Hillsdale is more interested in seeking free thinkers than demagogues.

“The college is not really about that,” Arnn told The Journal.

No doubt. Hillsdale isn’t for everyone. But it’s about the right ones, the students who savor ideas and embrace its rigorous standards.

Academically rigorous, the schools offer small class sizes. Their faculty are experts in their field and forge lifetime bonds with students who value communities over crowds. Often less expensive than public institutions, the independents boast higher four-year graduation rates and smaller class sizes for a truly unique and affordable experience.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE AMOUNT YOU PAY AT Michigan's top independent colleges and universities COULD BE LESS THAN WHAT YOU’D PAY AT A PUBLIC INSTITUTION?

Michigan's top independent colleges and universities are more affordable than you think. Actual costs are comparable to public institutions.

More students receive financial aid, on average, at Michigan's top independent colleges and universities than public ones.

Graduation rates at Michigan's top independent colleges and universities are double those of public universities.

The average class size at Michigan's top independent colleges and universities is just 17.5 students. Compare that to the massive lecture halls of the big public universities. Choose community over crowds.

At Michigan's top independent colleges and universities, you'll learn from professors. Not the TAs you’ll often find leading classes at big public institutions.

Community is the culture at Michigan's top independent colleges and universities. Classes are tight knit. Students and faculty forge lifelong relationships.

The alumni network is bar none at Michigan's top independent colleges and universities. They’re engaged and invested in you.

Diversity is cherished. The demographic makeup of students at Michigan's top independent colleges and universities mirrors that of the state.